Getting Hitched in the 21st Century :: 'I Do' Goes Hi-Tech

Planning your wedding has entered the 21st Century... it's as easy as going online, setting up a profile and following a step-by-step guide. Below are some great options and resources for planning that special day, from choosing the color scheme, dress or tux, rings, cake and venue. There is even a way for you to fund a dream honeymoon!

THE KNOT

Introduced in 1996, The Knot has become one of the more popular wedding apps for organizing your nuptials. The offerings are broken down categorically, with listings for "must do's" such as, choosing wedding
planners, venues, photographers, flowers, bands and disc jockeys, caterers and wedding cakes, rings and fine jewelry, honeymoons and many others, offering a list of vendors for each. There's a great checklist option for month-by-month planning guides to keep you on track until your wedding date. A budgeter that allows you to set a spending limit and then keep track of costs
like the reception venue, food service, beverages, etc. to keep your finances in check. Other useful tools include a guest list option for your shower, rehearsal dinner and wedding, a registry for gift giving and a pin board for inspiration.

Our only complaint about this one is that finding the gay wedding section on their website is a bit of a pain and the graphics on their app are mostly of straight couples, which is sort of annoying for the LGBT community. If you can get past that, however, it's a handy and resourceful tool! Check it out by downloading the iOS app, or go to theknot.com.

14 STORIES GAY WEDDING CONFIDENTIAL

A joint development between 14 Stories and The Rage Monthly's sister media partner, EDGE Media Network, this is a wonderful, integrated state-of-the-art LGBT- focused wedding planning tool with a downloadable app for your mobile device, as well. Resources include sections such as: Wedding Planning Timeline, Gay Wed- ding Traditions, Setting a Guest List, Finding a Wedding Venue and a Schedule for a Typical Wedding Day guide, this is the little app that could. Seriously, who needs a best man or woman? Though, if you want more help, 14 Stories is also available to plan your event for you.

The app also has sections that list where it's legal [by state], vendors by location, a link to their Facebook and Pinterest pages for examples of other weddings and a place to list your event announcements, photos, details and an area for you to share personal anecdotes. To begin planning your event with 14 Stories step-by- step process, check it out by downloading the iOS app, or go to 14stories.com.

HONEYFUND

I don't know about you, but most of the LGBT couples that I have known, who have gotten married have pretty much everything that they need. We've had to wait such a long time for legal recognition that traditional gift registries aren't always the best routes. What most newlyweds could use help with however, is the much anticipated honeymoon rendezvous!

Honeyfund is the honeymoon tool that has been used by over 350,000 couples (LGBT and otherwise), which creates a pathway for the newly betrothed to register for their heart's desire, post-wedding trip. So much better than a crock- pot! Simply create a profile with your dream destination, invite friends to "donate" and watch the "gifts" roll in-it's crowd sourcing with a destination. Guests visit your page, choose the "gift" they want to give and the money comes directly to you! Honeyfund, named one of TIME.com's "50 Best Websites of 2012," is totally free. Gift choices can even include funding the couple's first down payment on a home! For more information on this new way to give and receive, download the phone app or go to honeyfund.com.

TRAVELER'S JOY

This is another honeymoon registry that caters to couples, be they LGBT or straight. The difference here is that guests can specify where you want your money to go. Couples enter their trip itinerary on Traveler's Joy, list the things that they would like to do and see at each stop during their journey and guests pick what they wish to give as gifts during the honeymoon. Let's say our happy couple, Jeff and John, plan to circumvent the globe with stops in New York, San Francisco, Japan, Thailand, Laos and Turkey. Aside from the option of donating cash to help fund their entire trip, each destination the couple stops at, will have ideas and events for gift givers to fund.

Purchase nights at a hotel the couple has chosen, or maybe room service at said hotel, perhaps a night on the town, a deep-tissue massage, guided tour, clothing of their choice at a favored local shopping spot, or a romantic dinner at a destination restaurant and the Champagne to grease the wheels of romance. Simply select, provide the funds and voila... it's done! For more information, or to get started on your free registry, go to travelersjoy.com.